3 Nephi Chapter 17

Scripture Mastery

3 Nephi 17:4 But now I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them.

3 Nephi 17:23-24 And he spoke unto the multitude. and said unto them: Behold your little ones. And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.

1 Behold, now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked round about again on the multitude, and he said unto them: Behold, my time is at hand.

verse 1 "Behold, my time is at hand" The Savior's meaning is unclear. Though he certainly knows he is coming back the following day, he almost makes it sound like he's saying farewell, "My time to leave you is at hand."

2 I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time.

verse 2 We certainly cannot conclude that these Nephites were unworthy or spiritually unprepared for their experience with the Savior. They had survived the great destruction, and they were mature in their righteousness. Yet the Lord perceived in them a weakness that was making it difficult for them to understand all his words. The Lord had been teaching of the gathering. The Nephites' difficulty in understanding the gathering seems to have had more to do with their lack of intellectual understanding of the doctrine itself. Each of us is reminded that the gospel contains doctrines that require study, pondering, and prayer.

3 Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again.

verse 3 "ponder upon the things which I have said" Here is a reminder that the things of God are not understood through hearing or reading alone. The Spirit must also bear witness which often occurs during a time of meditation, prayer, and pondering.

"ask of the Father, in my name" During Christ's three-day post resurrection visit with the Nephites, he explicitly commanded them, on eight occasions, to pray to the Father in his name (see also 3 Nephi 18:19; 3 Nephi 18:21; 3 Nephi 18:23; 3 Nephi 18:30; 3 Nephi 20:31; 3 Nephi 27:28; 3 Nephi 28:30).

verses 2-3 Obviously the Nephites there gathered had had a profound experience which they did not, as yet, fully understand. Only through continued obedience and prayerful contemplation would they come to fully comprehend its deep significance.

4 But now I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them.

verse 4 "I go unto the Father" Again, Jesus almost makes it sound like he is leaving them for good, though we know that he will return the following day. We are not told why he is returning to the Father. Hugh Nibley even suggested that perhaps the Savior was planning to leave at this point and then changed his mind (Teachings of the Book of Mormon, lecture 96, 3 Nephi 11-19).

"also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel" See the commentary for 3 Nephi 16:1-3.

5 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.

6 And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you.

verse 6 After asking the multitude to return to their homes, the Nephites did not, in fact return home. Rather they tarried. At this, the Savior was touched and seems to have changed his plans temporarily. Paul wrote: "We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities" (Hebrews 4:15).

Keep in mind that his empathy for human suffering was immediate and personal and based at least in part on his sufferings in Gethsemane and on the cross. There was nothing theoretical or speculative about his compassion for these Nephites or for us: "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities" (Alma 7:11-12).

7 Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.

verse 7 Christ's healing of the sick among the Nephites was an act of great compassion and love and was undoubtedly provided to the Nephites as a reward for their faith. More importantly, however, perhaps we ought to see in his physical healing a symbolic representation of the spiritual healing which he offers.

"Halt" means lame-that is, holding or stopping in walking.

"or leprous" There is little evidence that leprosy existed in ancient Mesoamerica. It seems likely that the term "leprous" here might refer to any number of serious skin diseases (John L. Sorenson, FARMS Update, September 1994, number 26).

8 For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you.

9 And it came to pass that when he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him.

10 And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears.

verse 10 Elder Bruce R. McConkie declared:

To worship the Lord is to follow after him, to seek his face, to believe his doctrine, and to think his thoughts. To worship the Lord is to put first in our lives the things of his kingdom, to live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God, to center our whole hearts upon Christ and that salvation which comes because of him. It is to walk in the light as he is in the light, to do the things that he wants done, to do what he would do under similar circumstances, to be as he is. To worship the Lord is to walk in the Spirit, to rise above the carnal things, to bridle our passions, and to overcome the world (Doctrines of the Restoration, 371).

11 And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought.

12 So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.

13 And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground.

verse 13 Imagine this poignant scene-Jesus standing in the midst of a large group of children with their parents kneeling around them.

Apparently the posture which we assume as we pray is important (see also 3 Nephi 19:6; 3 Nephi 19:16-17). During private formal prayers, individuals should both bow and kneel down before God. Such a posture evidences humility, submission, and meekness. Elder Bruce R. McConkie has explained that "our Father is glorified and exalted; he is an omnipotent being. We are as the dust of the earth in comparison, and yet we are his children with access, through prayer, to his presence. . . . Almost by instinct, therefore, we do such things as bow our heads and close our eyes; fold our arms, or kneel, or fall on our faces" ("Why the Lord Ordained Prayer," Ensign [January 1976] 6:12).

14 And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel.

verse 14 It is notable that in the midst of all this joy, Jesus's thoughts turned to his people, to the house of Israel much of which was apostate. Perhaps on experiencing the joy of these Nephites, his heart turned to those who were missing this type of joy. Perhaps he thus experienced remorse which caused him to groan.

15 And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him.

verses 16-17 In these following verses, Mormon momentarily digresses from his account and quotes from the records written by those fortunate Nephites who were eye-witnesses of these great events.

16 And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father;

17 And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.

18 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome.

19 And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise.

20 And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.

verse 20 What a remarkable gift these faithful Nephites had given to the Savior of the world! They were so humble and responsive that he, the Man of Sorrows who had wept so often for the sins of the world, could now weep because his joy was full.

21 And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

22 And when he had done this he wept again;

23 And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.

verses 23 "Behold your little ones" Is Jesus simply inviting the parents to look at their children and admire them? Or is more implied here? It has been suggested that perhaps the children now belonged to their parents in a way that they had not belonged before. Perhaps they had been sealed to them for eternity (John W. Welch, Illuminating the Sermon at the Temple & Sermon on the Mount, [Copublished by FARMS: Provo, Utah and Deseret Book: Salt Lake City, Utah], 98-99).

24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.

verse 24 "they were encircled about by fire" For a discussion of the possible significance of this remarkable event, see the commentary for 3 Nephi 19:13-14. It is likely that this encircling about by fire was a sign of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Compare this experience with that of Nephi and Lehi in Helaman 5:23-49 or with that of the saints on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).

25 And the multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children.

verse 25 "the multitude did see and hear" The "multitudes" of Book of Mormon peoples are inevitably smaller groups than we may intuitively envision in our mind's eye. Here, for example, the "multitude" in Bountiful who received Christ were in number only about 700 families-2,500 people.